Past of Blood
by Madam Sophia
Summary: Katana has a past so horrible, most people would consider it hell. But what happens when those memories flow back once she bumps into her older brother, Hajime Saitou?
1. Strange Greetings

**AN:** Ok, I'm really new at this, so please go easy on me! But it would be nice to review and tell me what it needs. Just nothing too insulting, ok? OK!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters(if I did, I wouldn't be writing this, I would be in Japan somewhere). I do however own Katana.

Chapter 1: Strange Greetings

The wind was blowing ever so gently, and sakura petals were dancing in the air. The sun was just starting to set over the horizon. The sky was painted with pinks and yellows and oranges and reds. It truly was the only thing that ever made her smile a real smile. She sighed. Her short black hair was swaying gently with the breeze, and her soft amber eyes were hiding many emotions.

Tokyo was supposed to be nice, so why not go there? The eighteen-year-old girl sighed for the second time, and headed toward the city.

_'I just need a quiet town. A town that won't bring back those memories.'_ She thought to herself. Little did she know, Tokyo would bring back more memories than Kyoto ever will.

"Sano, you ordered way too much food! I can't afford this!" Kaoru shouted as she glared at the bill, wanting it to disappear from her hands. She sighed. "Why can't you just get a job or something?" Kaoru asked and turned her gaze towards Sano.

"You know that once I stopped the whole 'fighter for hire' thing, I couldn't afford anything." Sano said to her while picking his teeth.

"You're just a freeloading jerk!" Kaoru shouted at him, causing some people to look at her.

"Now Miss Kaoru, you don't have to get all angry at Sano here, that you don't." Kenshin said gently. "He couldn't have ordered that-" Kenshin stared at the bill with wide eyes. "Sano, how much food did you exactly order?" Kenshin asked as his violet eyes flashed in shock.

Sano thought for a moment. "Let's see…I ordered some miso soup, a beef pot, rice, chicken, fish…oh, and some sake."

"How much sake?" Yahiko asked him. Sano shrugged.

"I'd say nine bottles." Everyone fell back.

"Nine bottles of alcohol? NINE BOTTLES OF ALCOHOL? How have you not passed out yet! " Kaoru shouted, fuming with rage. So much, Kenshin had to hold her back. Sano just shrugged again. By this time almost everyone at the Akabeko restaurant was staring at the strange group of people.

"Is there a problem here?" the waitress, Tae asked them.

"Yeah," Yahiko said rolling his eyes. "We can't afford the meal 'cus of him." He pointed at Sanosuke.

"Oh, well we do have a little bit of a problem." Tae said.

"I'll pay for it." Everyone turned his or her head to the side. Standing there was a girl that looked around Sanosuke's age. She had short pitch-black hair, and amber eyes.

'_Where have I seen those eyes?_' Kenshin thought to himself. Although the girl's eyes were large and gentle, Kenshin couldn't help but notice the painful look in them. And the color…The color of those eyes reminded him so much of someone else's…but who's?

"Oh no, you don't have to do that!" Kaoru said.

The girl smiled. "No, I insist. After all, you made it very clear that you couldn't afford it." She chuckled a little bit and Kaoru blushed out of embarrassment. The girl's voice was gentle and kind, but once again, Kenshin noticed pain. He was positive that no one else noticed but him.

"Well, I don't know. I don't want you to waste your money because of_ his_ mistakes." Kaoru shot a nasty look at Sano, who rolled his eyes. The girl just chuckled again.

"Nonsense. I insist. If you really can't afford it, I'll pay. I have plenty of money, and I want to help." The girl said in a sweet tone. She took out a small pouch, and pulled out the exact amount of money needed for the food.

"How did you know it costs that much?" Yahiko asked. The girl blinked.

"Oh, this is how much it costs? Wow, sounds like someone was hungry." She said with a strange tone. Almost a nervous tone, actually. Not to mention, a little too hasty. "Oh well. Here you go miss." She handed the money to Tae, who took it happily.

"Why thank you." She said, and went away. There was an awkward silence that made everyone feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Finally, Kenshin said, "It was very kind of you to pay for the bill Miss…"

The girl smiled sweetly. "Katana Saitou."

Everyone's jaw dropped, and Kenshin's eyes flash a golden color for a moment. Katana blinked.

"Was it something I said?" she asked, completely confused.

"Is there any relation to Hajime Saitou?" Kaoru asked her curiously. Katana had a shocked look on her face.

"Yes, I do." She said after a few moments.

"What kind of relation?" Sanosuke asked.

"She's my sister." A cold voice said.

Ok! That's it for the first chappy! I hope it was ok for one of my first stories. R&R please! But go a little easy on me…I'm new at this.


	2. Sister?

**AN:** Ok, I would like to thank WhiteRabbit5 for the tips! They were helpful! Thanks a lot!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters (if I did, I wouldn't be writing this, I would be in Japan somewhere). I do however own Katana.

Chapter 2: Sister?

"Is there any relation to Hajime Saitou?" Kaoru asked her curiously. Katana had a shocked look on her face.

"Yes, I do." She said after a few moments.

"What kind of relation?" Sanosuke asked.

"She's my sister." A cold voice said.

Everyone's eyes widened out of shock, including Katana's. She whipped around and stared up into the cold amber eyes of her older brother. She gasped. It was almost as if time had stopped as she stared into eyes so similar to hers. Only his eyes were narrow and cold, while Katana's were large and sad. It seemed like no one was breathing, and it was completely silent. Hajime's features were almost the same as they were when Katana was eight. Only now he had much shorter hair.

Why would he cut his hair? Honestly, the world would be better if people had their hair long. '_Then again, my hair's short, too._' Katana thought matter-of-factly. Katana mentally shook herself from those thoughts and back to her brother. "Hajime." Was the only thing she could say. He nodded.

"Katana." He stated.

They just stared at each other for a few minutes until Sanosuke said, "Hey Saitou, I thought you lived in Kyoto."

"Well, when you haven't seen your sister for ten years, you start to wonder where she is." Saitou stated. (I'm going to call him Saitou, since I don't think saying Hajime sounds as good. And I'm just going call Katana by her first name.) Katana had a confused look on her face, which made Saitou smirk. "I was told you were seen on the outskirts of Tokyo, and I needed to make sure for myself." He said to her. Katana then noticed the police uniform he was wearing, and her eyes widened as she backed away.

"You…you're not going to-"

"No, I'm not going to arrest you, don't worry." Saitou said to his younger sister. Katana gave him a confused look.

"Y-y-you're not?" she asked, apparently shocked. Saitou shook his head and leaned forward. He whispered something to her that the others couldn't hear. Katana's eyes widened, and she smiled what looked to be a relieved smile. Everyone looked at the two siblings strangely, but they shrugged it off.

"Well, I never knew you had a sister, Saitou." Kenshin said. Saitou just shrugged and took out a cigarette.

"My family is no one's business except for my own, Battousai." He said as he lit the cigarette. "But tell me sister, why are you in Tokyo?" Saitou said to Katana. She smiled.

"Oh, I just needed somewhere that is nice and peaceful." She said brightly. Saitou's eyes narrowed for a moment.

'_She still hasn't gotten over the past yet._' He thought to himself. "I see." He said after a moment. His sister nodded, putting on fake enthusiasm. '_She has improved on hiding emotions, but her eyes tell me otherwise._'

"Yeah! Although from what I've seen so far in Tokyo, I don't think I should have picked it for a peaceful place to stay." She chuckled a little.

Katana hadn't noticed that Kenshin, Yahiko, Kaoru, and Sanosuke were staring at her and her brother with shocked expressions. Katana had a bright smile on her face all the time (only Kenshin and Saitou can tell it's fake), and Saitou had a cold expression on his face.

'_How can they be related?_' they all thought at the same time.

A bell seemed to go off in Katana's head. "Come to think of it, I don't think I caught your names." She said in a polite, sweet voice as she turned to the group of friends. They all kind of smiled.

"My name is Kaoru Kamiya. I am assistant master in the Kamiya-Kashin style. And this is my student, Yahiko." Kaoru said brightly. Yahiko grunted.

"I could have told her what my name was, you know." He said while glaring at her. Kaoru just glared back, and Katana sweat dropped. She looked at the other two.

"The name's Sanosuke Sagara." Sanosuke said with a small smile.

"And my name is Kenshin Himura." Kenshin said politely. Another bell went off in Katana's head.

'_Himura? As in, Himura the Battousai?_' she thought in shock, but still kept her happy expression on her face.

"Well, it's very nice to meat you all." Katana said brightly. Saitou just stood there, looking somewhat irritated.

Kenshin's POV 

Kenshin noticed that there was something that seemed to really bother Saitou, but he didn't know what. It couldn't just be the fact that they were in the same room. It had to be something else, but what?

Saitou's POV 

Saitou absolutely hated what he was seeing. '_She's changed._' He thought to himself. '_Just like you, Battousai. Katana truly has changed, and a little more than I would prefer._' He shook his head for a moment. Katana was one of the greatest assassins in all of Japan at age seven, and now…it was hard to even imagine her as a fighter. It almost disgusted Saitou at how weak his own sister had become. '_Perhaps I can bring it out of you again, Katana._' He smirked slightly. '_Perhaps._'

Ok! That was really awful, but I don't care at the moment! I will probably wake up tomorrow, and think of about fifty different things I could have done to make it better. Oh well! Please review! I like to know what people think, and how I can improve my writing! 


	3. New Understandings

**AN:** Ok, I would like to thank WhiteRabbit5 again! And now, we go onward!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. I do however own Katana.

Chapter 3: New Understandings

After about an hour of convincing Saitou, Katana has been staying at the Kamiya Dojo for about a week. Katana couldn't help but feel a little tense whenever she was around Kenshin or Sanosuke. Usually, they would be slightly rude to her, and they would avoid her most of the time. Katana knew the reason was because they probably didn't like her brother that much, and she didn't blame them. But after a week she was starting to get annoyed.

As Katana was doing laundry for Kaoru, she sighed and looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy day, and the wind was a little harsh. She didn't mind, though. Personally, Katana enjoyed the wind, no matter how hard it would blow.

After she was done washing all of the clothes and setting them up to dry, she smiled slightly. Kaoru said that Katana shouldn't do any chores, but Katana insisted. Unlike Kenshin and Sanosuke, Kaoru and Yahiko were both kind to Katana. She was glad that they didn't care whom she was related to.

'_But if they knew who I was, they would probably be acting differently.'_ Katana thought to herself. She sighed.

Suddenly, there were footsteps behind her. Katana turned around, and saw Sanosuke walking toward her. She smiled and bowed slightly. "Hello Mr. Sagara. How are you today?" she asked sweetly. Sanosuke glared at her.

"Don't you ever have anything better to do then bother me?" he asked rather rudely. Katana's eyes narrowed just barely.

"Ok, I give up." She said in a colder voice. "Do you want me to kill myself or something, because I don't know what else I have done that bothers you or Mr. Himura other than living." Sanosuke looked at her in shock.

"What are you saying? That you don't know why you bother me?" he said while glaring at her.

"Yes." Katana replied in a calm voice.

"Oh come on! You know why I don't like you." He said, annoyed.

"You're right, I do! But just because I'm related to Hajime doesn't mean I am him!" Katana shouted. Sanosuke had a shocked expression on his face. "If the only reason why you and Mr. Himura don't like me is because I am Hajime's sister, then that just proves that you are nothing but a bunch of ass holes!"

"You little brat! You shut up!"

"You shut up! Look here buster. All of my life, I've had to deal with bastards like you, and you're all the same. You have no idea what's going on, and you don't even stop to think! My parents were that way, my sensei was that way, even my own brother was that way at times, and I don't need the same crap from you!" Without another word, Katana stomped off to the kitchen to make dinner.

Sanosuke just stood there, thinking. Suddenly, Kenshin walked up to Sano.

"You know Sano, she's right." He said, while looking toward the direction Katana had left. "We haven't been giving her nearly as much respect as she deserves." Sano sighed, and looked a little ashamed.

"Yeah…" he said while thinking. He finally walked toward the kitchen.

Katana was glaring at the food she was cooking. She didn't even know why she was so angry. '_People have treated me much worse than Mr. Himura or Mr. Sagara…so why do I feel so angry?_' she thought in frustration.

_"Get up you worthless waste of skin!" her father shouted as she lay in a pool of her own blood. _

_"Please stop it." She whispered. "Please." She coughed up some more blood, and her vision was getting blurry._

_"What did you say you bitch!" he smashed her into the wall. "I'm going to kill you!" _

"Katana?" Katana jumped a little as she was shaken from her thoughts. She whipped around. Sanosuke was standing there, looking deep in thought. Katana sighed.

"Oh, hello Mr. Sagara." She said politely. She looked at her feet. Guilt was starting to fill inside her. "Um…Mr. Sagara?"

"Yeah?" Sanosuke replied.

"I…I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have lost my temper." Sanosuke looked shocked.

'_Why is she apologizing?_' He shook his head. "No…I should be apologizing." Katana blinked. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have disliked you just because you're related to Saitou. I…I was stupid. You've been doing nothing but trying to be nice, and I really _was_ just an ass hole. If you hate me, I completely understand." He bowed his head, and started to walk away.

"I don't hate you." She said to him. Sanosuke looked at her.

"You…don't?" she shook her head.

"No. It's all right. I'm surprised that you don't hate me for what I said to you. I truly am sorry, Mr. Sagara." It was Sano's turn to smile.

"Nah. You had every right to be mad." He said with a cheesy grin. It was silent for a few moments. "So…how about we start over…and be friends." Katana's eyes widened.

'_Friends?'_ she thought in amazement. She smiled. And not just an empty meaningless one, but she smiled a true smile. "Of coarse. I would love to be friends with you Mr. Sagara." She said cheerfully.

"Oh, Katana?" he asked.

"Yes Mr. Sagara?"

"Just call me Sano." Katana blinked, and she smiled again.

"Oh, ok…Sano." It was silent for a while.

"Katana?"

"Yes?"

"The food's burning."

"AAAHHH!" Katana ran around, trying to put out the fire. "Hot, hot, hot, hot!" Sano sweat dropped.


	4. Once a Manslayer, Always a Manslayer

**AN:** Ok, this is annoying. I don't get any reviews! That isn't exactly encouraging, you know. Thanks once again to WhiteRabbit5, the only one who bothered to review on the last one! grrr.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. I do however own Katana.

Once a Manslayer, Always a Manslayer 

As everyone was eating dinner, Katana couldn't help but feel a little bit uneasy. She hadn't seen Hajime for a while now. '_I wonder where he is._' Almost as if on que, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Kaoru said, getting up. She left the room, and it was silent for a few moments. Then, the door opened, and none other than Hajime Saitou walked in.

"Katana, may I have a word?" he asked. Although she was confused, Katana nodded, and followed him out of the room. Once they were in a private room, Saitou turned to his sister.

"Hajime, what's-" she was cut off when Saitou threw a sword at her. She caught it, and examined it. It was a light weight sword. She unsheathed it. The metal was thin, but the blade was sharp. Katana gasped. '_My katana?_' she thought in amazement.

Saitou looked at Katana. Her eyes were large, and looked innocent. But somewhere, under all of that, was the soul of a manslayer. He was going to go full out to pull out that side of her.

"How did you get this?" Katana asked, never removing her gaze from the sword.

"I have my ways, Katana." Katana looked at him. "Ten years, you have been quiet. You've changed, sister." Katana had a confused expression on her face. "You do whatever people say without fuss. The Katana I knew wouldn't ever do what people told her to. You don't even carry a weapon with you anymore. Even the Battousai still carries some sort of weapon, but you…you are weak, Katana." Katana's eyes narrowed for a brief moment. "But know this." He grabbed her arm and pulled up her sleeve. From her shoulder to her wrist, there was one long, ugly scar. "Scars never leave. A scar is a scar." He forced Katana to look him in the eyes. "A promise is a promise." Katana's eyes widened. "And a manslayer is a manslayer, until death."

He traced his fingers slowly up and down Katana's scar. She was shivering in pain, and fear. Memories were flashing through her eyes. The pain got worse with every trace of the scar, and Katana gritted her teeth. Saitou still kept stroking her scar with his fingers. The pain was still increasing.

Katana was paralyzed in fear and pain. She closed her eyes, just wanting the pain to stop.

"A scar is a scar. A promise is a promise. And a manslayer is a manslayer." He whispered in her ear. Katana's eyes shot open. She swiftly swung her sword, which was still in her hand. She was able to get a gash in Saitou's shoulder, but nothing more. He smirked. "If I hadn't moved, you would have chopped my arm off." He said with some sort of amusement in his voice. "Hm…Maybe you haven't gotten that soft."

Saitou got into his gatotsu stance. '_Oh shit._' Katana cursed to herself. He lunged forward, and Katana was able to dodge it, or so she thought. When she thought that she had escaped the blow, Saitou changed it into a side sweeping attack. He was able to get a large gash in her side, and she cried out in pain. Blood was dripping out of her rapidly. The door slid open, and Sano was standing in the doorway.

"Katana!" he shouted.

'_Why is this so painful?_' Katana thought to herself. '_I've dealt with pain much worse than this, and I have never screamed in battle before. Why?_'

Her brother's words rang in her head.

_You're weak, Katana. _

She looked into her brother's eyes. "I…" she looked down at herself, and back up at Saitou. "I am weak." She said, realizing it for the first time. Saitou smirked.

"I'm glad to see that you at least still have a brain." He looked directly into her eyes. "Remember, a manslayer is a manslayer until death."

Everything started to spin, and Katana felt herself falling. She also felt herself being caught by two strong arms. After that, darkness.

Katana started to fall, but Sano caught her before she hit the ground. He glared at Saitou, who was exiting the room. He looked back at Katana. He picked her up and held her close to him. "I'll never let that happen to you again." He whispered to her.

All the while, Saitou was watching this. '_Hm…the idiot has feelings for her? Heh. That's interesting._' He turned around, and walked past Kenshin, but not before saying to him, "Once a manslayer, always a manslayer. Right, Battousai?" he smirked and left the dojo.

**Ok, I realize that that was REALLY short, but that I just needed to type this down quick before it left my mind. Please review! It encourages my to writer more. Thanks!**


	5. Struggles

**AN: Wahoo! Other people finally reviewed! –Does Victory Dance- Ahem. Anywho. To reply to most of your reviews, let me say, that yes, I realized that I did make Saitou somewhat evil in the last chapter. You see, the reason why is because Saitou hated the fact that Katana had become so weak. He knew that the only way to awaken the manslayer within her was to do what he did. And as you will see in this chapter, that side of her is…oops! I almost gave it away! **

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters (I really wish that I did, though). I do however own Katana.

Chapter 5: Struggles 

It has been two days since Katana's little encounter with her brother. Katana has been acting much differently than usual.

"Miss Katana, could you make us some lunch? I need to go into town, and Miss Kaoru's cooking isn't exactly…well…as good as yours." Kenshin said, trying to find the right words without really insulting Kaoru. Katana was silent, and her eyes were covered by her bangs. "Miss Kata-"

"I heard you the first time, Himura. And why exactly do I have to cook?" She said in a defiant, cold voice. Kenshin seemed taken aback by her. Katana put a hand to her head and held it, as if she was in pain. She looked up, revealing her usual innocent amber eyes. She blinked. "Oh, hello Mr. Himura. Didn't see you there. I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked in an innocent voice. Kenshin had a confused look on his face.

He looked into Katana's eyes to check for any trace of emotion. He saw confusion, sadness, and…anger? The anger in Katana's eyes was faint, but it was there. Kenshin's eyes widened in realization. The anger wasn't directed toward him. Katana's anger was directed toward herself. '_She's struggling with herself._' He thought. Kenshin knew what this feeling was like. He had struggled with himself many times with his other half, and still does. It's almost like having a conversation with yourself. Everything else is canceled out, and sometimes, your other half takes over for a brief moment or two.

"Mr. Himura?" Katana's innocent voice cut through his thoughts. "Are you ok?" Kenshin smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine, Miss Katana. If it isn't too much trouble, could you make us some lunch? I have to go out today." He said, not even bothering to mention Kaoru's cooking. She smiled sweetly.

"Oh, of coarse!" she exclaimed. Kenshin however, could see right through her. That happiness was empty, and meaningless. She was simply hiding the confusion and sadness within her.

"Thank you, Miss Katana."

"No problem!" Katana said. Without another word, she walked off to the kitchen. Kenshin sighed.

'_Why on earth did Saitou act like that toward Miss Katana the other day? I thought that they were brother and sister._' Suddenly, Saitou's words rang through his head.

"_Once a manslayer, always a manslayer."_

Why had he said that? It's not like Katana was-no…she couldn't be. Could she?

Why did she not sense Kenshin come? One minute she was just sitting there, and the next, she was looking at Kenshin. '_What on earth is happening here?'_

'_You know the answer to that.'_

'_Please go away.'_

'_Why should I? Our brother was pretty much begging me to come back.'_

'_He was, but I wasn't. Please go away. I don't want anything to do with you.'_

'_Heh. Without me, you would be dead by now.'_

'_Without you, I could have lived a happy and peaceful life.'_

'_It was your choice to be an assassin.'_

'…'

'_Hah. You see? I'm right.'_

'_Go away.'_

'_Hn. Whatever.'_

'_So, you'll leave?'_

'_Sure, but there's something you should know.'_

'_What?'_

'_The food's burning.'_

Katana looked at the food she had been cooking. It was on fire…again. "AHH! FIRE!" she screamed while running around like a maniac.

_'Feh. And she thinks I'm bad.' _

AN: Wow! That was short! Sorry it took so long. I hope you liked it!


End file.
